Sunday, March 9, 2008

Even though bunkers are technically hazards great care must be taken so that players immediately behind you are not unduly penalized by poor bunker etiquette. Below are several things you can do to help minimize the damage that occurs to the bunker itself.

1)Try to enter and exit the bunker from the point that's closest to your ball, but most level to the adjacent playing surface. Don't try to climb out by going up a steep bunker face (you can damage the lip of the bunker and displace too much sand).

2)Always rake the bunker immediately after your shot.

3)Be careful not to pull excess sand to (or over) the lip of the bunker. The best practice is to alternate between pulling sand toward you and pushing it back with the tines of the rake, thus making a relatively even surface without displacing too much sand.

4)According to the USGA, the guideline for placement of bunker rakes is "out and down." The rake should be placed outside the bunker, lying flat on the ground, and pointed in the direction of play (parallel to the likely flight of the ball).